COMMUNITY WILDLIFE CONSERVATION Along with the recent withdrawal of a ban related to importing elephant trophies from Africa, wildlife conservationist Adam M. Roberts “The Compassionate Conservationist” talks with Big Blend Radio about his recent trip to Tanzania as an adviser to the PAMS Foundation, which is working to help sustain and conserve biodiversity, wilderness, habitats and ecological processes through actions that benefit nature and communities.

The PAMS Foundation mission is for Tanzania to be a country where the value of its natural resources and its benefits are understood and upheld by all, and for best practice management principles to be applied in conserving natural resources in an ethical manner in all the areas where they work internationally.

PAMS Foundation supports various community based conservation projects in Africa. Community areas surrounding protected areas are also often set aside as conservation areas. They are important for conserving wildlife and habitats, but also act as buffer zones or corridors. Poachers typically need to pass through these community areas and spend a lot of time in villages or in some cases, they are from these villages. Hence, it is common for villagers to get tempted into participating in poaching activities. The team at PAMS Foundation goes out of their way to work with communities to help them protect their crops and livestock, receive education on sustainable livelihoods and manage their conservation areas. Making best friends of the community leads to many of them becoming the best allies for wildlife protection and conservation authorities. Such communities take better care of their resources and reveal those who assist in poaching activities to the relevant authorities. Learn more at www.PAMSFoundation.org